Pavlik-Rosinsky replaces Rios-Herrera

Ryan Songalia

June 15, 2012

Former middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik will face New York City-based super middleweight Will Rosinsky on July 7 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on a “Boxing After Dark” card, say Rosinsky and his promoter Lou DiBella.

DiBella, speaking through an assistant, confirmed that a deal had been reached to match the 27-year-old Rosinsky (16-1, 9 knockouts) of Ozone Park, N.Y. with the 30-year-old Pavlik (39-2, 34 KOs), but that HBO had yet to approve the fight.

Pavlik, who has won three straight against modest opposition since losing his middleweight crown to the DiBella-promoted Sergio Martinez in 2010, is coming off of a seventh round TKO victory over Scott Sigmon a week ago on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights.

Rosinsky has won two straight since suffering his first career defeat to Edwin Rodriguez in October in his Shobox debut. Just last night, Rosinsky scored an eight round unanimous decision victory over Aaron Pryor Jr. at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

Despite sustaining a black eye on his left side from last night’s fight, the 2005 US Amateur Champion in the 178-pound division and four-time New York Daily News Golden Gloves champ says he will be ready to go.

“My adviser [Keith Connolly] called me two hours ago and asked me if I wanted to take the fight and I said ‘I’d love to,” said Rosinsky, who said he would have to get clearance from his day job as an emergency medical technician with the New York Fire Department’s station 39 in East New York, Brooklyn to take off to train.

Rosinsky said that he had watched Pavlik’s fight with Sigmon last week and commented to his adviser Connolly and trainer Felipe Gomez that he “wasn’t impressed” with his performance.

“I mentioned it to Keith and Felipe that that would be a good fight for me,” said Rosinsky. “Even he said it too, he said he wanted to make his way back and he didn’t want to fight a top ten guy, he wants to fight some tough oposition and get back into the ratings at 168. “I felt like he was saying my name without saying my name.”